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Movies you might not have known were based on Shakespeare’s plays

TIMESOFINDIA.COM | Last updated on - Apr 23, 2020, 12:27 IST

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Movies based on Shakespeare’s plays

Shakespeare’s plays are timeless classics and have often been re-done in theatre and on the big screen. We’ve all swooned over the tunes of the 2006 'Romeo and Juliet' starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes, but did you know 'Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride' was based on 'Romeo and Juliet' too? Meanwhile, Bollywood too isn't far behind when it comes to movies inspired from Shakespeare's stories. From Gulzar, Vishal Bharadwaj to Sanjay Leela Bhansali many prominent filmmakers have been inspired for their blockbuster hits by the Bard's writings. Here we list down some movies which are based on Shakespeare’s plays. How many of these did you know about?

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'Angoor'

Gulzar sahab's 1982 movie 'Angoor' is inspired by Shakespeare's play 'The Comedy of Errors'. Not many know that 'Angoor' is a remake of 'Do Dooni Char', a Hindi-remake of the Bengali film 'Bhranti Bilas' which is based on Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar's Bengali novel of the same name. And Vidyasagar's Bengali's novel is based on 'The Comedy of Errors' by William Shakespeare. 'Angoor' features Sanjeev Kumar and Deven Verma and is considered to be one of the best movies made by Gulzar.

(Photo: Wikipedia)

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The Lion King

'The Lion King' (1994) is based on 'Hamlet'. While the original had humans rather than lions, it’s clear that this is a child friendly Hamlet with less death.

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'Omkara', 'Maqbool' and 'Haider'

Filmmaker Vishal Bharadwaj brought Shakespeare's trilogy to life on the big screen with his hit Bollywood movies 'Haider', 'Omkara' and 'Maqbool'. The 2003 movie 'Maqbool' is a modern remake of 'Macbeth' which highlights the dark side to ambition. Meanwhile, ‘Omkara’ which released in 2006 is based on the dark tragedy 'Othello' and 'Haider' in 2014 is a modern remake of 'Hamlet'.

(Photo: Wikipedia)

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Ran

'Ran’ (1985) is based on ‘King Lear’. The setting changed to Japan and the daughters became sons in this version but the source is clear.

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‘Goliyo Ki Raseela Ram Leela’

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 2013 movie ‘Goliyo Ki Raseela Ram Leela’ is a remake of the tragic love story 'Romeo and Juliet'. The movie featured Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh in the lead roles and was appreciated for its impressive aesthetics. This is not the only Indian adaptation of the classic love story as the 2012 movie ‘Ishaqzaade’, set in Uttar Pradesh, is also inspired by 'Romeo and Juliet'.

(Photo: Wikipedia)

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Were the World Mine

'Were the World Mine' (2008) is based on ‘A Midsummer’s Night Dream’. A rather obvious one, but it deserved a mention for the clever way it was done. An openly gay student using the love potion to make his town experience same-sex attraction- genius!

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Warm Bodies

‘Warm Bodies’ is based on ‘Romeo and Juliet’. Rather than showing humanity too busy fighting itself to understand pure love, this version puts the zombies against humans and the protagonist’s love.

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She’s The Man

'She’s The Man' (2006) is based on 'Twelfth Night'. The names of the characters remain the same, even if the setting is different and the original play is often quoted.

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O

‘O’ (2001) is based on Othello. Not just the name of the movie, the names of the characters too reflect the roots of the re-set tale. The strong racial themes also persist in this retelling.

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Forbidden Planet

‘Forbidden Planet' (1956) is based on ‘The Tempest’. Replace a deserted island with an alien planet and all that goes with it and you’ve got the same story, more or less.

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Deliver Us from Eva

'Deliver Us from Eva' (2003), is based on 'The Taming of the Shrew'. Another modern retelling of the popular play, it features LL Cool J as an inspector falling in love with Gabrielle Union.

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A Thousand Acres

'A Thousand Acres' (1997) is based on 'King Lear'. It’s based on a book by Jane Smiley which was based on the play. Rather than a kingdom being divided between 3 sisters it’s a farm being divided between two sisters.

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10 Things I Hate About You

'10 Things I Hate About You' (1999) is based on ‘The Taming of the Shrew’. It quite stuck to the original, even referring to the female lead as a shrew at one point.

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Movies you might not have known were based on Shakespeare’s plays

Movies based on Shakespeare’s plays

'Angoor'

The Lion King

'Omkara', 'Maqbool' and 'Haider'

Ran

‘Goliyo Ki Raseela Ram Leela’

Were the World Mine

Warm Bodies

She’s The Man

O

Forbidden Planet

Deliver Us from Eva

A Thousand Acres

10 Things I Hate About You

Start a Conversation